Method of duplicating sound-records.



No. 871,554. PA TENTED NOVQ19, 1907. J. W; AYLSWORTH.

METHOD OF DUPLICATING SOUND RECORDS. APPLICATION FILED DEO.6,1906.

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jjitjiijjj' J Attorney Inventor NI D srn'ras PATENTOFFIOE.

JONASW. AYLSWORTH, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO NEW JERSEYPATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEWJERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF DUPLICATING- SOUND-RECORDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19,1907.

Application filed December 6. 1905. Serial No. 290.540.

a citizen of the United States, residing at 223 Midland avenue, East Orange, county of Essex,and State of New Jersey, have invented a'certain new and useful Method of Duplicating Sound-Records, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved methodjfor duplicating sound records from matrices or molds by the ex ansion of a blank,and is ada ted particularly for the making of recor s from relatively hard material, such as hard rubber, celluloid and similar com ositions, although the invention may be use for making records from wax-like com ositions, such as those now employed j in t e art of making duplicate phonograph records by a molding operation.

. place in any suitable way, asgior example,

' alternately heating and cooling the matrix ior mold, prefera l The object of the 111V611t1011 is to provide a, simple and eflective method for t e purose. In order that the invention may be better understood, attention is directed to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which I illustrate a sectional view of an apparatus suitable for carrging out my invention.

T e matrix or mold 1 is of the common type now used in the art, being provided on its interior with a negative impression of the record to be duplicated and being of any desired thickness. Provision is made for y by surroundin the same with a coil 2', embedded in a jac et of lead, or other fusiblemetal Steam (satu rated or super-heated) for heating the coil, or water for cooling'the same, are admitted through the ipes 4; and 5 respectively,-and having, suita 1e controlling valves thGIBlII, as shown. The valved "outlet 6, permits any water or condensed steamto be drawn off from the coil at the-bottom thereof. The

"matrixor mold is seated on a suitable base 7, and may, ifdesired, be ermanently connected to the same; said base is carried by a frame 8 havin an upper member or arm 9. Engagindt e to of the mold is a cap 10 adapted to be rmly clamped in y a cam 11, carriedby the arm 9. The cap 10, is provided with a flexible expander I 12, made preferably-of rubber, adapted to fit within the matrix or mold, and to leave sufiicient space for the reception of the blank on which the record surface is to be impressed. Connected With the interior of the expander 12, is a flexible pipe 13, leading to the chamber 14 of the 'vacum valve. pipe 15 connects the interior of'the'matrix or mold with the chamber 14. The vacuum valve 16 is an ordinary three-way valve and when in the position shown, connects the vacuum pipe 17 with the pipes 13 and 15 so as to exhaust the air from the mold and from the interior of the expander 12. When the vacuum valve is'moved 90 degrees clockwise, it connects the vacuum pipe 17 with the pipe 15 only, and when moved to a further extent of 90 degrees, it cuts off the vacuum ipe 17 entirely, as will be understood.

he vacuum pipe 17 is connected to any suitable source of vacuum, preferably an ordinary exhausting pump.

To provide regularlty and ra idity of operation, a reservoir is preferab y interposed between the exhausting pump and the duplicating apparatus, so as to permit the necessary, exhaustion to be uickly obtained, and also to permit a num er of duplicating machines to be connected with the same reservoir, as will be understood.

A valved pipe 18 connects with the pipe 13 above the vacuum valve and may be open directly to the air or may be connected with a source of compressed air, as may be necessary when the materials to be duplicated are butfslightly expansible. Another valve 19 below the vacuum valve permits atmospheric air to enter the pipe 15. The blank 20 may bemade of any suitable material capable of being softened or rendered plastic I oi semi-fluid b heating (such as hard rubber, celluloid, s ellac composition, or the ormaking the blank s ightly'tapered, so as to engage the support 'frictionally; Or, in-

stead, the blank may be a composite structure formed of a-suitable base ofpaper, fab-. ric, rubber composition, 'or similar material capable of -moderate expansion withoutand sufficiently hard material (such as celrupture, and carrying a coating of a smooth luloid or similar substance, capable of being softened'by heat)'on its outer surface. Preferably thebottom of the mold'is constructed plicating operation. The blank 20 is made 1 very slightly smaller than the bore of the matrix or mold so as to be readily. introduced therein surrounding'the expander, as-

shown. The matrix or mold is now heated;

(or it maybe heated before the blank isih- 1'5 troduced )'-by'admitting'the st'eamto the coil 2 or in any other suitable way. Thisre: sults inheating the blank so as to-soft'en'its outer face and permit it to readily take an imgression.

- uring the heating ofthe blank, the vacuum valve 16 is operated to exhaust air from the interior of the-expander 12, and

Y also, from the interior of the mold, so as to e ualize the pressure on the expansible walls 0 the expander- By thus applying a vacuto theinterior of the matrix or mold, I effectively exhaust any-air, or gas, or 111013- turje from. between the blank and the record surface of-the matrix, so that when the blank Solis expanded 'itwill take a erfectly clear and sharp impression from t e record surface. Furthermore, this exhaustion of the air filmbetween the blank and matrix is'efiec'tedfi without the necessity of sealing the ends of "the. blanks in any way and the result ls; ob-

tained whether the blank is relatively thick oris very thin. ,The vacuum valve 16 is now movedclock-wiseQO degreesysoas to still maintain the exhaust connection tothe pipe v 40 15,. and the valve of the pipe. 18- is open-v to permit atmospheric air or compressed air to enter the expander 12, thereby expanding i the flexible walls of the latter and forcing theblank'intimate'ly into engagement with the '45. record surface. -When the blanks are formed ofmaterial that is expandedwith difficulty, or that softens only slightly, I referablyuse compressedair in the expan er, or su erheated steam in the coil 2, or both, for e ecting this operation, but with thin blanks of celluloid, 'or similar material, atmospheric as been thus expanded into engagement with the matrix and is-held closely in such '55 engagement by the inflation of the expander 12, I turn off the steam in the coil 2 and admitcold Water'to the same, so as to rapidly chill the matrix and also the surface of the record in contact therewith. This chilling takes place while the record is tightly compressed against the bore of the ;matrix, so.that the material is set and be comes fixed While in such engagement. .This results in a sharper and more perma- 1 165 nent impression on, the resulting duplicate ressure will be sufficient After the blank than would be secured if the setting of the material was brought aboutafter detachment of the record from the mold. Preferably, before the record hasbeen cooled entirely throughout, but after its surface has been set and hardened as explained, the vacuum valve 16 is moved to shutofi the vacuum pipe 17, and the valve 19 is opened to equalize the pressure on the Walls of the withdraws the expander from the record to its normal size. The mold with the record thereinisnow allowed to cool (or an artificial cooling. operation may be performed) whereby the record will-contract diametrically so as to' free itself from the matrix and be allowed to be removed by swinging-the mold bottom downwardly. This separation of the finished duplicate from the matrixwill be facilitated 1f the bore-of: the matrix is formed with a very'slight taper, as is com- -monin the art.

Although I have referred thepreceding' description to the use of a vacuum, it will be iunderstoodthat I use the expression in its- Itopica'l sense and mean any such condition-of v rarefication as can be commercially secured by a well-designed exhausting or vacuum ipump. I Having-now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to -see1n'e"by'Letters Patent is as follows 1. A process ofduplicatingsound records which includes introducingwithina hollow. '-'matrix a tubular blank of im ressionable @material, introducin withinthe lankahol low flexible expan er, exhausting the;- from-the matrixand from the expanderiand expanding-theblank outwardly into engage- :gnentt with the matrix, substantially-as set: 10.5 011; v 2. A process of duplicating sound records which includes introducing within ahollow vmatrix a tubular blank of" impressionable expander, exhausting the air from. the Ina-1 trix and at the same time preventing the expansion of the expander, and themxpandingthe blank outwardly intoengagement with the matrix by means of the said expander, substantially as set forth.

3. A process of duplicating sound records which includes introducing within a'hollow matrix a tubular blank of impressionable material, introducing within the blank a hol- 1 20 low flexible expander, exhausting the air fro the matrix and from the expander and admitting air into the expander to expand the blank into engagement with the matrix, substantially as set forth. g I

4. A process of duplicating sound records which includes introducing within a hollow matrix a tubular blank of. impressionable material, introducing within the blank aholexpander 12, the elasticity of whose walls 75 material, introducing within the blank an no low flexible expander, exhausting the air panderto expand theblank into engagement 'theiexpander, heating the matrix to soften from the matrix and from the expander, and forcing the air under pressure into the exwith the matrix, substantially as set forth.

5.1 A process of du licating sound records which includes intro ucing within a hollow matrix a tubular blank of material which within the blank a hollow flexible expan er, exhausting the air'from the matrix and from the blank and expanding the blank outwardly into engagement with the matrix, substantially as set forth.'

6. A process of duplicating sound records which includes introducing within a hollow matrixga tubular blank of material which may be softened by heat, introducin within theblank a hollow flexible expander, exhausting the air from the matrix and from the expander, heating the matrix to soften the blank, expanding the'blank outwardlythe blank a hollow flexible ,expan er, ex-

hausting the air from the matrix and from the expander, heating the matrix to soften the blank, expanding the blank outwardlyv into engagement with the matrix, cooling the matrix so as to set the im ression, and finally shrinking the resulting uplicate diametrically to permit its removal, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 29th day of Novr. 1905. JONAS W. AYLSWORTH.

Witnesses:

, FRANK L. Dyan;

ANNA it. KLEHM. 

